Improvement in car-axle boxes



a. M. FRYER 81 B. L. s. HALL.

Car-Axis Boxes.

P atented Dec. 29,11374.

1NYENTUR3.

THE (smymc tomnhwmlxm ae NITED STATES A'IENT Grrron.

ROBERT M. FRYER AND ROBERT L. S. HALL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS TOTHE EAGLE LUBRIOATING AXLE-BOX COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-AXLE BOXES.

V Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15$,l69, datedDecember 29, 1874; application filed June 12, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ROBERT M. FRYER and ROBERT L. S. HALL, of the city,county, and btate of N ew York, have invented a new and usefulLubricating Apparatus for Oar- Axles, of which thefollowingisaspecification:

Our invention relates to that class of lubricators for car-axles whichelevate the oil, by means of an attachment secured to the rotatin gaxle, to the top of the brass over the axle, where it is. delivered andallowed to pass through holes provided inthe top of said brass to theaxle, and finally to the receptacle at the bottom of the box, where itis collected impregnated with the worn metal and other grit naturallypresent, in which state it is again elevated, as before, to the top ofthe brass, and worked over and over in a similar manner.

This is one of the difficulties to overcome, viz.: The oil must bepractically ridden of the wearing metal and other foreign substancesat'the end of each lubricating operation. Another difficulty is in thepresent revolving elevator for the oil. Its form being that of a disk,access is prevented to the end of the axle from the front of the box,unless the said disk is first removed.

Now, in order to overcome thefirst-mentioned difficulty, we employafiltering-agent between the lower portion of the axle and the lowerreceptacle for the oil; and the second difficulty we overcome byemploying an arm or arms, instead of a disk, for elevating the oil tothe top of the brass. We also obviate the necessity of parting the boxto introduce a certain collar,

- hereafter alluded to, which rotates in a small chamber at the rear ofsaid box, to prevent the oil from working its way therefrom. This weaccomplish by employing an arm or arms, which are adjusted, through anopening at the top of the box, to a bead on the axle, and thus weaccomplish the same result.

But in order to fully describe our invention, that its novelty andusefulness may be observed readily, we will begin the generaldescription, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 represents a longitudinal section of ourimprovedlubricatingapparatus through the center of the axle. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectionof the same from the front of the axle.

A is the box or case, provided at the rear with an annular chamber, B,wherein rotates the arm or arms O, attached to the axle D at the bead E,therein provided. F is an opening in the top of A, through which accessis gained to adjust the arm 0. G is a cap or plug for closing saidopening. H is a partial partition located near the top of box A, andrests upon the brass I, which is supported by the journal of axle D. Jis achamberlocated underneath the axle D, filled with sponge,cotton-waste, or any other suitable filtering-agent, which also impingeson the face of the said axle, keeping it moist with oil, and at the sametime wiping away the wearing metal by the rotation of said axle. Thisfiltering-agent is kept compara tively clean, at the point next theaxle, by the constant supply of oil which passes through the hole K ofthe brass to said axle from the basin-like top of the partition H, whereit is deposited by the arm L in the following manner:

At the bottom of A is a receptacle for containing a suitable quantity ofoil to start with, and to receive the oil-which filters down through thematerial contained in chamber J. L is an arm attached to the end of axleD. The said arm is provided at the outer end with two branches, N 0,having grooves in the sides facing each other and unitin gat the base.The said grooves form a trough or ounRwhich leads 011' in a lateraldirection, for thepurpose hereinafter mentioned. The branches N O arepointed at the end, so as to appear like the bow of a boat. This is doneto retard the flow of oil therefrom, which would otherwise be thrown bycentrifugal force out of the groove too soon after'being gatheredtherein from the oil-receptacle at the bottom of the box through whichthe said arm passes at each rotation of the axle. The spout or trough Pis so constructed and arranged that, when the axle D is revolving veryslow, the oil gathered by the boat-like points will run down to the saidspout, and thereby conveyed to top of partition H, which, as it' will benoticed in Fig. 1, is made to protrude sufficiently in the properdirection to come underneath the said spout when in an upward position.Hence it will be seen that when the axle is revolving rapidly, the oilgathered by the branches, as before mentioned, is thrown by centrifugalforce to the top of box A, where it is caught by the grooves R, andthereby conveyed to top of the partition H. But when the said axle isrevolvin gvery slo\v,the said oil willbe delivered to the said partitionthrough the trough or spout P, as above stated. And should it ever occurthat the motion of the axle is neither slow enough nor fast enough toperform either of these operations, the substance employed as a filtering agent in chamber J, being in constant 0011- tact with the revolvingaxle, and being saturated with oil, will furnish. the journal amplelubrication until the proper speed is attained to effect-either of theresults above mentioned, which will produce a fresh and abundant supplyof oil to the top of the brass to keep it cool and perfectly lubricated.The object in employing the two branches at arm L instead of one, is toprovide means for elevating the oil equally well when the axle isrevolving in either direction. The bottom chamber J is provided with aseries of vertical diaphragms, l 2 3 4 5 6, upon which rests thefiltering-agent above mentioned, so that, alter the oil has fallen fromthis substance, it is delivered between the said diaphrag'ms, and isthereby conducted to the front of the box A in the following manner:Every alternate diaphragm is connected with one side of box A, the otherdiaphragm with the opposite side of said box, and, as the saiddiaphragms are shorter than the width of the said box, the result isthat a space is left between one end of each diaphragm and the box;therefore, the oil flows first in one direction to end of the diaphragm1; then, by the inclined form of the bottom of A, it flows around theend of l and returns, in its passage between 1 and 2, to the end of 2;from thence in an opposite direction, passing between2 and 3, to the endof 3; and so in this order, it finally passes through the verticalfiltering-plate S, which is secured in position by cleat T and buttons UV, to give easy access to chamber J.

WVe wish here to state that we are aware that the arm L may be formed inseveral shapes to elevate the oil. We are aware of the Patent of J.RsMorris, January 7th, 1873, No. 134,696, and do not claim anythingtherein shown and described. Nor do we claim, broadly, afiltering-chamber in an oil-box; but

What we do claim as our invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, is-

1. The arm L, with the grooves R, partition H, and filtering-chamber J,combined to operate for the purpose of elevating, using, and filteringoil in box A for lubricating the journal, as set forth.

2. The arm 0, in combination with chamber B, for the purpose ofpreventing the oil from working from the box A through the opening atthe back thereof, as set forth.

ROBERT M. FBYER. ROBERT L. S. HALL. Witnesses:

WILLIAM ELMER, lVIORGAN L. HARRIS.

